When you try to install the NetApp VSS Provider (to connect iSCSI filers to Windows Server 2003), you need to install Hotfixes from KB833167 and KB824354.

You install the hotfixes. Then install the VSS Provider. And here’s what you get –

Incorrect version of the following files was detected. Please install Hotfix Q833167.

Esent.dll version must be 5.2.3790.109 or newer

Ftdisk.sys version must be 5.2.3790.113 or newer

But you’ve already installed 833167!! You reinstall several times. No change. The VSS Provider installer keeps flashing the annoying message. PSS does not have a clue what’s going on. Neither does NetApp.

The VSS Provider installer from NetApp specifically looks for the file versions and dates.

Hotfix 833167 should’ve updated ESENT.DLL and FTDISK.SYS. But Microsoft released an updated hotfix 833167 that did not contain those two files – because the files had not changed from the RTM version. Result: The system still had the RTM versions.

After a lot of digging, PSS was able to put together the files that shipped with the original update and make the hotfix available. Last time I heard, Microsoft was going to update that KB Article, and NetApp should’ve done something to change their installation routine to accept the RTM versions of ESENT.DLL and FTDISK.SYS.